Draft coupling



March 11, 1941. D A GURNEY ETAL 2,234,163

DRAFT COUPLING Filed sept. 12, 1939 2 Sheets-sheet 1 Fig 1 T E11-H115 A- EmTfLnw-L l jy: Q4/M Attn-rf` EYE.

Patented Mar. 11, 1941 DRAFT coUPLING Dayton A. Gurney, Landover, and Thomas A. Conlon, Silver Spring, Md.

Application September 12, 1939, Serial No. 294,460

4 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, l1928; 370 0. G. 757) 23 disposed rearwardly of the bolt. The socket portion is formed with a normally vertically disposed tapered aperture 24 for receiving a pintle in the form of tapered stud 25 which depends from a bar 26 mounted in a trailer cart indi- I cated at 21 and held against rotation relative The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the'payment to use Yof any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a draft coupling.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a simple and eilcient draftv coupling which is especially applicable in connecting carts such as limbers and caissons.

Further objects are to provide a coupling which will eliminate weaving of the trail cart, which will permit wide angular movements in all directions, which will control the load on the end of the horse pole to eliminate injury to the wheel-horse team, and which will provide for adjustment of the pole according to the height of the wheel-horse team.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a lead cart equipped with the improved coupling.

Fig. Z is a plan view of the coupling.

Fig. 3 is a view of the coupling in side elevation with parts in section.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference there is shown a lead cart A comprising a body 5, mounted by means of springs 6 on an axle 1 which carries wheels 8. A center pole 9 for a wheel horse team is fixed to the body 5 so that these members form a rigid unit. A bracket I0 fixed on the rear end of the body provides a bearing for swivelly mounting the cylindrical portion II of a draw bar. The draw bar includes a rearwardly extending yoke I2 one arm of which is provided with a side recess I3 and with a laterally projecting keeper plate I4 having an aperture I5 for receiving a pin I6.

A bolt I'I journaled in the rear extremities of the arms of the yoke is formed with a head I8 on one end while the other end pivotally `carries a latch I9 which provides means for rotating the bolt. The latch is movable into and out of the recess I3 and has a slot 20 for the keeper plate I4.

The bolt I1 pivotally carries a coupling member 2l which includes a pair of spaced ngers 22-22 disposed forwardly of the bolt between the arms of the yoke and also a socket portion thereto by a lip 28.

and maintain the connection.

The yoke of the draw bar is provided with a rearwardly and downwardly inclined seat 3l having a non-circular aperture 32.

A rod 33 having a non-circular portion slidable in the aperture 32 is formed with a collar 34 which is engageable with the upper side of the seat. A

n ut 35 threaded on the lower end of the rod provides an adjustable seat for a helical spring 36 whose upper end engages the inclined seat 3|.

A nut 3l threaded on the upper part of the rod above .the inclined seat 3I is positionable between the spaced -ngers 22 of .the coupling member 2l and includes a pair of laterally projecting lugs 38 adapted to be engaged from unl derneath by the fingers.

The lead cart has a .pole preponderance of about forty pounds so tha-t the body and pole normally tip about the axle 'I orwheels 8 and tend to elevate the draw bar as represented by the bolt I'I.

With lead and trail carts coupled as shovvn in Fig, 1 the nut 3l has a position of adjustment on the rod so that the body load Will be equilibrated by the spring 36. By varying the position of adjustment of the nut the pole may be normally maintained in an inclined position to alter its height according to the size or height of the wheel horse team. This arrangement controls the load on the end of the pole and eliminates injury to the team.

Any movement of the carts which tends to elevate the bolt I 7 maintains .the connection between the rod 33 and the lingers 2'2 of the coupling member.

Any movement which tends 50l to lower the bolt as shown in Fig, 3 separates the nut 3l from eng-agement with the fingers 22 and thereby inoperates or disconnects the spring 36. relative turning of the carts.

The stud 25 serves as the axis for If the trail cart 55 overturns the complete draft coupling rotates with the overturned cart about the cylindrical portion H of the draw bar and under this condition the carts turn relatively on the bolt l1 and disconnect the nut 31 and fingers 22.

We claim:

1. In a coupling for connecting a lead and trail vehicle, a draw bar adapted to be swivelly mounted on the lead vehicle, a rearwardly extending yoke on the draw bar, a bolt rotatably carried by the yoke, a coupling member pivotally mounted on the bolt and having a socket, a pintle adapted to be carried by the trail vvehicle and inserted in the socket of the coupling member, said pintle 'Y having an annular groove engageable by the bolt, a seat fixed on the draw bar, a rod slidably and non-rotatably mounted in the seat, a collar on the rod engageable with 4the upper side-of. the seat, an adjustable seat on vthe lower endof .Y

the rod, a spring between the fixed and movable seats, a memberadjustably mounted on Ithe upper end of the rod,V and means on the coupling member extendingv forwardly of the` bolt and engaging theymember on the rod to compress the spring. v

2. In a coupling for connecting a lead and trail vehicle, a draw bar adaptedto be carried by the lead vehicle and including a yoke, a bolt rotatably carried by the yoke, a coupling member pivotally mounted on' the bolt and having a socket, a pintle adapted to be carried by the trail vehicle and retained in the socket of the coupling member by the bolt, a rod slidably and non-rotatably mounted in the draw bar, a spring between the draw bar and the lower end of the 5 rod, and means on the `coupling member forv engaging the rod to compress the spring.

3. In a coupling for connecting a. lead and a trail vehicle, a. draw bar adapted Ito be carried by the lead vehicle, a coupling member adapted to be carried by a trail vehicle, a horizontally disposed bolt pivotally connecting the draw bar and coupling member, a rod slidably mounted in the draw bar, a spring normally urging said rod downwardly, a member longitudinally adjustable on the rod, and means on the coupling member for engaging the member on the rod to move the rod against the action of the spring.

4. In a coupling for connecting a lead and a trail vehicle, a draw bar adapted to be carried by the lead vehicle and including a yoke, a bolt extendinghorizontally across the yoke and rotatably mounted therein, a coupling member mounted on the bolt for movement in a vertical plane and including a socket, a pintle adapted to be carried by the trail vehicle and rotatable in the socket of the coupling member, said pintle havingl an annular groove engageable by the bolt.

' DAYTON A. GURNEY. 

